The most recent Elden Ring patch may or may not have made an intentional change to the Demi-God boss, Morgott. While FromSoftware didn’t include a mention of changing the Omen King’s cutscene in patch notes for Elden Ring version 1.04, a new comparison video shows a darker, flameless introduction and no one can quite agree on a cause for the change.
As a heads up — stop here if you want to avoid Elden Ring spoilers. There’s footage and a brief lore discussion ahead.
It’s an easy tweak to miss in this Reddit thread from Razhork, but Elden Ring’s original 1.02 footage shows Morgott’s greatsword ablaze in its reveal. The comparison shot from April’s patch 1.04 takes the glow and particle effects away, plus tones down the color around the boss, too. It’s kind of strange but could also be one of those things you might have never noticed in passing.
Morgott’s cutscene was changed with patch 1.04 from Eldenring
Folks serious about lore don’t just take such changes in passing, though — I say that as someone the same way about FFXIV. In that big Elden Ring Morgott debate thread, players are arguing if this was just a simple mistake with the update or if there’s some sensible reason for FromSoftware extinguishing the flames. A pretty sizeable sum of comments believe it’s a purposeful change to line up with the Golden Order’s rules, and that his cane shouldn’t ignite from a flame incantation since it’s heretical.
I tend to side with the other frame of thought; it looks like FromSoftware just broke something while working on changes for Elden Ring’s performance. Perhaps we can find a reason for it to make sense and I wouldn’t dismiss the thought of small adjustments for lore accuracy, but Morgott’s transition looks weirdly dull, and the desaturation elsewhere makes me lean toward team ‘oops’. The “emboldened by the flame of ambition” line is a little comical now, at least when considering how things used to look.
Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on here, it’s still one of those neat fan things most interesting to the type who could teach a college class on their favorite game’s lore. Elden Ring, and let’s be honest, FromSoftware games at large, is home to a pretty dedicated group of talented and thoughtful fans. We see that in projects like the massive co-op and enemy mods and in the sheer volume of units publisher Bandai Namco moved in its short lifespan.
